Stanford University ID Mail & Bulk Mail

Mail Information

Mail Information

Mail and Delivery Services

Mail and Delivery Services (MDS) provides pick-up and delivery services for interdepartmental mail (ID Mail) on the Stanford Campus. Morning delivery is provided at no charge to all departments. There is a charge for afternoon delivery. You can contact MDS at (650) 723-2261 or mailcodes@lists.stanford.edu for more information. Hours of Operation 7am-3:30pm.

U.S. Postal Service Mail

MDS does not provide services for United States Postal Service (USPS) mail. The USPS is responsible for picking up and delivering US mail. Please contact the Main Palo Alto branch, at (650) 321-1423, with any questions.

ID Mail

Interdepartmental (ID) Mail Services are provided primarily for the conveyance of messages concerning the University's official business between the various University departments and administrative units. All organizations with responsibility to the University, or to the Associated Students of Stanford University (ASSU), are entitled to use ID Mail. ID Mail may not be used to distribute commercial or partisan political advertising.

Bulk Mailing

There are two ways to send bulk mail:

via ID mail
A bulk mailing is 50 pieces or more. To send your bulk mail via ID mail, we can provide an Excel spreadsheet of current faculty and/or staff and their respective mail codes. This listing is updated once a month. It is strongly suggested that you get the most up to date listing, as much of the information changes frequently. Prepare your bulk mail item and then request the mail code listing from mailcodes@lists.stanford.edu. Arrange to have a mailing house of your choice deliver the bulk mail to our loading dock at 340 Bonair Siding. Bulk mail must be sorted in mail code order; otherwise a sorting fee will be applied. The rest is done by ID Mail at no charge to your department. ID mail is to be used for Stanford business only.

via U.S. Postal Service Mail
To send mail via USPS it is economical to use the Stanford non-profit mail permit #28. Your mailing must be a minimum of 500 pieces for First Class or 200 pieces (or 50 pounds of mail) for Standard Mail. Arrange to have a mailing house process your mailing. Should you need assistance finding a mailing house, MDS can provide you with a list of vendor referrals. The vendor of your choice will take care of the required USPS paperwork. You must first provide them with an approved request number for the use of the permit. This must be arranged by Mail & Delivery Services (see below*). There is a $10.00 processing fee charged for this service. Your department is responsible for postage fees which will be charged to your account by MDS.

* Please note that, when designing bulk mail, the return address of your mail piece must have "Stanford University" alone on the first line. This is because the university owns the permit, not any one individual department.

Stanford Health Services

Stanford Health Services (SHS) Inter-Office mail is separate from Campus Mail. All questions should be directed to the SHS mail room at (650) 723-5130. SHS is responsible for up-dating all Medical Center Mail codes. Campus Mail does not assign or make mail code changes for SHS.

Mail Codes

Mail & Delivery Services manages the four digit Inter-Departmental (ID) campus mail codes. Please note that ZIP+four USPS mail codes, are not the same as “ID” mail codes. These mail codes are independent of each other. If you anticipate a change in the location of your department or mail stop, please contact us. Many times a change in location will require the assignment of a new mail code. Please do not make up or assign your own mail codes! Call 650.723-2261 or e-mail mailcodes@lists.stanford.edu. Also, please ensure that your “StanfordYou” is updated with your correct mail code. This is essential for the prompt and efficient delivery of your mail.